1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an devices that have been used to administer a liquid orally to an infant. In particular the invention relates to a pacifier which can be used to introduce liquids orally to an infant.
2. Prior Art
The invention is intended to facilitate administration of a viscous substance to small children, in particular to facilitate administration of contrast material to infants that are lying down in different body positions on an X-ray table. X-ray examination of infants lying down in different positions on an X-ray table is made difficult because the child has to be maneuvered on the examination table at the same time as contrast material is administered to the child. The child is often moving, crying and may be difficult to hold or otherwise restrained from moving. During the examination, it is desirable to administer as much contrast material as possible without any complications. The child must swallow as much as possible in a short time period.
It has been common procedure to administer the contrast material with a spoon or through a bottle with a sucking nipple, with the child swallowing voluntarily. This procedure is done while at the same time restraining the child. This is a tedious procedure and the administration of the contrast material may be unsatisfactorily slow because of the child resisting voluntary swallowing of the material.
A disposable sucking device having a catheter extending through the sucking device is disclosed in an article titled "Disposable Catheter Dummy" published in Austalasian Radiology, Vol. XV, No. 1, February, 1971. The device had a nipple formed by solid plastic material. An opening extended through the solid, hard nipple, and a flexible tube was affixed to the outer end of the opening. A syringe was used to force contrast material into the child mouth through the flexible tube and nipple. Administration of the contrast material was facilitated, but unfortunately, many children did not like the solid, hard nipple. An improvement has been suggested wherein the nipple is a hollow, elastomeric article shaped like conventional nipples on pacifiers. The flexible tube is connected to the outer end of the nipple, and the fluid is introduced into the hollow nipple. The entire nipple must be filled with fluid. However, as in the device having a solid, hard nipple, the improved device having a supple nipple had the flexible tube sticking outwardly in a direction extending directly away from the face of the child. When the child was restrained to lie on his or her stomach, the child's head had to be held up and turned sideways so that the flexible tube was free. The tubing could not kink or otherwise be bent so that the flow of viscous fluid therein was impeded. Holding the child's head in such a position did not make the procedure easy inasmuch as the child usually objected to having his or her head so held and restrained.